Job openings in food and drink

Head of production wanted at allplants

London-based company allplants is looking for someone to lead and develop its existing operations team and help with overall business performance.

The company is a specialist plant-based kitchen in the UK, making exclusively vegan sauces, as well as its own brand of ready-made meals.

It makes all its own food from scratch in London at the 40,000sqft site – said to be the UK's largest, specialist plant-based production kitchen.

As a start-up business, founded in 2017, the company is looking for someone with an agile and adaptable mindset, with the ability to flex between strategic and operational thinking.

While being very hands on, this is a strategic role and will need someone who knows how to – and is excited by the challenge of – scaling and levelling up a function from the perspective of people, process and technology. 

The candidate will need experience in production/operational management, ideally within the food industry and a role that involved cooking and freezing processes. 

On a day-to-day basis, this role will involve working with and managing the kitchen team. The successful candidate will also be responsible for margins and efficiency – using a strong entrepreneurial spirit to drive gains as the key custodian of COGS and LogOps costs.

They will also be leading the way with the implementation of the kitchen extension and upgrade, both identifying machinery but also engaging with the team to prepare them for the move.

Closing date: ​1 April 2024

If you’re keen to read more about this role and/or apply to allplants, click here.​​

PepsiCo seeks maintenance engineer

Home to brands such as Walkers, Quaker, Doritos, Pipers and Monster Munch, PepsiCo is recruiting a maintenance engineer to join its Leicester site, which is said to be the world’s largest crisp factory.

PepsiCo products are consumed around the world more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories, with the company generating $91bn in net revenue in 2023.

In 2023, it was awarded the Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality (formerly Times Top 50 Employers for Women) for the 18th year in a row and Top Employer for the 12th year in a row.

The successful candidate will be responsible for providing a safe, high-quality and cost-effective maintenance service to site assets, including preventative, predictive and breakdown maintenance ensuring achievement of factory KPIs, targets and budgets. 

They will also provide technical support to operational teams, technicians and operations management, monitoring maintenance activities, routines and procedures for accuracy, effectiveness and completion.

You will need to possess good skills in electrical and mechanical maintenance, with experience within a production environment as a minimum requirement.

The candidate will also need to hold an NVQ L3 or equivalent time serving as an engineering apprenticeship with proven hands on experience. They will also need to have a City & Guilds 2391.

PepsiCo will be looking for someone who is a strong team player, computer literate and with an ability to manage and prioritise workloads to support business needs.  

Experience within a FMCG or high-volume continuous production environment, working knowledge of PLC systems- Allen Bradley and/or Siemens an advantage, and of CMMS and SCADA systems and the associated applications are all advantageous.

This is a permanent role which pays up to £52485.72 per year (inclusive of shift allowance) and boasts a quarterly bonus incentive scheme.

Closing date: ​4 April 2024

For more details and to apply for the role at PepsiCo, click here.​​

Harper Adams University hiring food innovation director

The leading university for food production and technology, animal health and well-being is looking for a food innovation director.

Based in Shropshire, the university has been named Specialist University of the Year in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024, and the top Modern University in the inaugural Daily Mail University Guide.

The food innovation director will proactively facilitate knowledge exchange within the food industry and support workforce development with partner organisations, helping to educate tomorrow’s food sector’s leaders.

You will need a background in food science/technology, ideally in dairy, bakery, beverages and/or meat-plant-based protein.

The new director will be part of developing and growing Harper Food Innovation (HFI) – which is at the uni’s food activities. In this role, you will work with industry partners ranging from SMEs to large scale food processors, contributing to local and national projects. This will include collaborating with key retailers that Harper Adams already works closely, but you will also be able to leverage your current network of food contacts to expand the HFI’s presence and growth.   

The successful individual will be a commercially focused person, who has strong entrepreneurial skills with the capacity to spot business opportunities and the capability to create tangible financial outcomes.

Closing date: ​5 April 2024

To read more about Harper Adams University’s role and how to apply, click here.​​

Bakkavor looking for quality assurance supervisor

Bakkavor is seeking someone to lead its quality assurance (QA) team at the Aston site in Cheshire.

This facility makes specialty hand-crafted flatbreads, baguettes, doughballs and ciabattas for customers including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Waitrose, alongside its own Pizza Express brand.

Ideally you will have a good practical working knowledge of food safety legislation and quality requirements.

A strong QA background is desirable for this role, but more importantly you will be energetic, punctual, proactive, and reliable; with the ability to lead, guide, and motivate others towards achievement.

HACCP knowledge, a food science qualification or equivalent and experience in the manufacturing industry is favourable.

This position is permanent, on a ‘four days on, four days off’ rota, with occasional night shifts a possibility.

The new supervisor will be responsible for participating in and directing the QA team to observe and audit production processes and GMP, ensuring products are made to specification and within customer codes of practice and Bakkavor standards, reporting findings to managers as appropriate.

They will also assist in delivery of site standards for visits and audits, either through direct input, indirect support and/or organisation of QA team activities.

Moreover, among other responsibilities, the new team member will coordinate QA requirements for product launches; for example, updating required documentation/systems, and liaising with the process team/line support to ensure product is manufactured to correct standard.

Closing date: ​13 April 2024

For more information about the quality assurance supervisor position and/or to apply, click here.​​

Senior NPD technologist needed at Florette

Florette UK & Ireland is seeking a senior new product development technologist to join its team in in Lichfield.

Florette is one of three UK food manufacturing factories owned by the French co-operative group, Agrial. Agrial has operations across 18 regions, with 280 farming outlets and five different divisions, which comprise beverage, dairy, meat, fresh produce and agricultural operations.

The successful candidate will lead the development of new and modified products for its Florette brand and own label for its largest customer at the Linchfield facility. 

Responsibilities for this role include organising trials, shelf life, samples and industrial validations for all Florette projects. You will also be expected to liaise with all factory departments for the development of new products from feasibility to launch. 

Working with the core own label team, you will also lead the development for own label products for ongoing category reviews and summer launches, as well as current product changes as required.

Ideally, you will be educated to degree level in a Food Science/ Technology or a related discipline. You will also have a minimum of four years’ experience working within an NPD department, with experience of the development of chilled/short shelf life products, shelf life analysis, product sampling, factory trials, product costings.

Closing date: ​20 April 2024

If you’d like more details about the role at Florette, and to apply, click here.​​

Disclaimer:​ Please note that these jobs were live at time of article publication and may expire before stated end date.

For more jobs, visit our jobs site Food Man Jobs, here.​​